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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963738">squabbler</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroopaisen/pseuds/kuroopaisen'>kuroopaisen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Haikyuu!!</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Mage!AU, just uni students being idiots, kind of, the third gym squad shows up at some point, tsukki is tsukki</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 09:14:58</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>6,440</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25963738</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuroopaisen/pseuds/kuroopaisen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>being a student in your country’s most prestigious mage university isn’t easy. even less so, when you have to turn to your sworn enemy, tsukishima kei, for help.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Tsukishima Kei/Reader, Tsukishima Kei/You</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>92</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>squabbler</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maybe you were a little early. And this was just a theory class; nothing too exciting, just an overview of the history of magic. But you couldn’t help it. You were just so damn <em>excited</em>.</p><p>You were the first person from your village to have earned a spot in the nation’s most prestigious mage academy, after all. Well, the first in a few decades. But that sort of detail wasn’t too important. What mattered was that you were <em>here</em>, in the halls of the great academy.</p><p>Said halls were currently empty. But you didn’t mind it too much. It gave you some time to admire it all. Admire how old the stone looked, without giving the impression it was falling apart. Admire how the entire place seemed to thrum with magic, echoing through every nook and cranny. Admire how even the way the sun filtered through the windows seemed to have a mythical quality to it.</p><p>However, rocks and stones were only interesting for so long. And nobody else had turned up.  </p><p>How early <em>were </em>you? You pouted, playing with the hem of your robes.</p><p>Were you in the wrong place? Had you misread your letters? Were you on the wrong side of campus? Would you be penalised for being late? Was your academic career in shambles before it had even begun?</p><p>At that moment, you heard footsteps. You twirled around, almost tripping over your own feet.</p><p>It was a tall blond boy, clad in glasses and an expression of sincere disinterest. He looked roughly your age, and his umber robes were just a little too short in the sleeves.</p><p>Why was he so tall? Were humans <em>allowed </em>to be that tall? Had he used some kind of elicit magic to spur his growth?</p><p>You’d never met anyone that tall before. Not back home. And you were a really, <em>really </em>long way from home. And now was not the first moment that you’d wondered if you’d made the right decision, moving so far away.</p><p>No! You wouldn’t be intimidated by this. You’d come all this way, after all, and you were ready for anything. You would talk to this boy, and you would make your very first friend at this academy. Now <em>that </em>was a thrilling thought.</p><p>“Hello!” You piqued up, maintaining a respectable enough distance between the two of you. You’d have liked to say it was because you wanted to be polite, but it was mainly to ensure that you wouldn’t have to crane your neck so much as you looked up at him.</p><p>The boy said nothing. He didn’t even look at you. Had he not heard you?</p><p>“Are you excited to start?” You asked, speaking a little louder this time. That was a neutral enough question. Surely, that would beget some kind of response.</p><p>Still nothing. But, you <em>did </em>notice his eyebrows sink a little.</p><p>“I’m a bit nervous, myself,” you smiled nervously, tilting your head at him. Maybe he was just shy?</p><p>You swallowed, trying to ignore how clammy your hands were becoming. “Are you… from around here?”</p><p>The boy glanced at you for a second, and you felt the tightness in your chest ease a little.</p><p>But instead of answering you, he reached into his bag and pulled out one of the textbooks. He opened it without a word, leaning against the wall and positioning himself in such a way that allowed him to put you out of sight.</p><p>Oh, <em>now </em>you were mad. What, he couldn’t even engage in polite small talk? What was he, a <em>child</em>? What an ungrateful little<b></b>–</p><p>You glowered at him, crossing your arms as you slumped against the wall. You weren’t about to start a fight. That wasn’t worth it – especially not on your first day. But you couldn’t help but feel a little angry.</p><p>You hadn’t managed to make your first friend at the academy. Oh, no.</p><p>You’d just made your first enemy.</p><p>✧✧✧</p><p>It only took about half a year for things to start going wrong.</p><p>For the most part, you were pretty decent at this whole magic thing. It wasn’t so much a natural aptitude – although your natural abilities certainly weren’t <em>bad </em>– but more a testament to your hard work.</p><p>Unfortunately, that asshole you’d met on your first day – who you’d now come to know as Tsukishima Kei – was also good. But he didn’t seem to <em>care</em>. Admittedly, you’d taken a peek at his test scores before – yes, you <em>know </em>it’s unethical, but you couldn’t help it. You’d just wanted to know if he had any legs to stand on, being as insufferably smug as he was. You hadn’t liked the answer.</p><p>Worse yet, your professors liked to call on him in class. And he answered perfectly, each and every time. And yet, he always sounded so bored? How could someone be bored learning about <em>magic</em>? Gods, that pissed you off.</p><p>And somehow, by some cruel trick of fate, he was in every single one of your classes. The cohort was big enough to be split in two, but no matter the arrangement of the rest of your peers, the two of you were always together.</p><p>He knew you didn’t like him. You’d never really <em>spoken </em>about it, but there’d been a fair few times when you’d mutually glared at each other during class. You weren’t quite sure if he just looked at everyone like that, or if he was targeting you specifically. Either way, you didn’t like it.</p><p>That wasn’t even taking into account the numerous tense in-class discussions you’d had. Every time you presented an idea, this beanpole of a man decided he needed to challenge it. You’d been humiliated for the first few months, but you’d made a valiant effort to grow some thicker skin. It had worked, for the most part; some days you could even fire back at your apathetic nemesis.</p><p>You could handle him fine enough. But your dorm-mates had decided to get themselves into a massive argument. You still weren’t sure over what, exactly, but it’s origin evidently didn’t matter. You were stuck in the middle, trying desperately to smooth over the situation.</p><p>But, it was quite difficult easing tensions when each angry party had the ability to set someone’s hair on fire – even if it was against academy rules. Playing mediator was taking up more of your time than it had any right to, and it was proving to be <em>exhausting</em>.</p><p>Worse yet, the workload had grown even more intense, and it was starting to overwhelm you. You’d known that the academy was tough, but you hadn’t properly comprehended it before coming here. Now, you were experiencing it.</p><p>And on top of all that, you’d been hit by a recent bout of homesickness. You could handle them well enough, frequently, that they were – but all those extenuating circumstances meant that your typical coping strategies were less effective.</p><p>You’d managed to stay on top of your studies, for the most part. Except, unfortunately, for one subject in particular.</p><p>No matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t wrap your head around alchemy. You always seemed to mess it up – and no amount of private tuition from the professor could help. You could tell she was a very clever woman, but it was obvious that because she just knew <em>so much </em>about it, she had a hard time noticing where the gaps in your knowledge might be. And frankly, the amount of time you spent speaking to her after class was getting embarrassing.</p><p>You’d decided that you wouldn’t speak to her this afternoon. It wouldn’t be productive, for one, and you were worried that you were wearing her patience thin. Perhaps it was time to find a proper tutor…</p><p>None of your friends were particularly good at alchemy, and you didn’t know any of your upperclassmen. Did the academy have an official tutoring program? You’d never actually looked into that sort of thing. But trying to search out that sort of thing would take precious time that you should spend studying…</p><p>That’s when he walked past you.</p><p>Tsukishima Kei. Top of the class.</p><p>A horrible idea blossomed in your mind. One that made your stomach churn.</p><p><em>Can I swallow my pride? </em>You thought.</p><p><em>Yes. I’m desperate</em>.</p><p>As soon as you finished that thought, you turned and tore down the corridor as fast as your legs could carry you. He was already what felt like half a country away. Damn him and his long legs.</p><p>“Hey!” You hollered, cursing your own lack of stamina. “Hey, Tsukishima!”</p><p>He paused, looking over his shoulder with an expression of baffled irritation.</p><p>You skittered to a stop behind him. “Please tutor me,” you said, each word punctuated by a deep breath.</p><p>“Huh?” He grimaced, looking down at you. “No.”</p><p>“No please!” You gasped. “Please!”</p><p>Tsukishima narrowed his eyes at you, turning around.</p><p>Oh, you weren’t letting him get away <em>that </em>easily.</p><p>You dashed around him, standing right in his way.</p><p>You were running on pure instinct and desperation now, bowing sharply with your fists clenched at your side.</p><p>People were definitely starting to stare. But you were pretty damn desperate. The examination was barrelling towards you, and you certainly hadn’t studied enough for it.</p><p>“I’ll help you if you stop making a scene,” he hissed, face flushed with embarrassment.</p><p>You shot up to full height, looking at him with an expression that appeared to be misplaced adoration. “Thank you! Thank you, thank you, thank you!”</p><p>“Did you listen to me at all—”</p><p>“Tomorrow night, seven o’clock,” you breathed, “The library. Bye!”</p><p>You fled, not giving him the time to refute you. And you were glad you ran; you could feel your cheeks burning, almost as much as your chest was. You hated running, but you needed to make sure he wouldn’t change his mind.</p><p>That was unequivocally one of the most embarrassing things you’d ever done.</p><p>But you were pretty damn desperate.</p><p>✧✧✧</p><p>Honestly, you wouldn’t be surprised if he decided not to come. Your trust in him was tenuous at best; you could only hope that you’d appealed to at least some iota of human decency locked behind that mask of apathy.</p><p>Suffice to say that morale was low.</p><p>It had been a long day. One of your friends had roped you into renovating the greenhouse with them, and that had been <em>much </em>more work than you’d anticipated. Apparently all the plants along one of the walls had to be relocated, and all in one day. You’d wanted to say no when you’d found that out, but your friend had been <em>so </em>stressed. You hadn’t had the heart to walk away from them.</p><p>So, you’d been diligently running around all afternoon, slowly feeling the work ebb away at your energy reserve. All the while, you’d been worrying about your study session. Wondering if Tsukishima would turn up. Wondering if he was actually capable of salvaging your alchemy grades.</p><p>You glanced at a candle in one of the alcoves, each inch burned representing an hour passed.  </p><p>Tsukishima was <em>late</em>.</p><p>You sighed, resting your head on the desk. It was foolish of you to put your hopes in him. He had no reason to extend a hand. If anything, your academic blunders were probably a feather in his cap. You hated the thought of him revelling in your failure. Were you really so stupid as to ask <em>him </em>for help?  </p><p>Before you knew it, you’d closed your eyes, fluttering in and out of consciousness. You would’ve made more of an effort to stay awake, in case Tsukishima <em>did </em>turn up and use the fact you were sleeping as an excuse to run off.</p><p>But you were just <em>so </em>tired…</p><p>
  <em>Tsukishima Kei… bastard…</em>
</p><p>You could hear students shuffling around the library, but nobody seemed to be approaching you. How long had it been now? Were you a fool for waiting around for so long, for a boy who obviously wasn’t coming?</p><p>
  <em>Alchemy… I have to pass…</em>
</p><p>A warm, pleasant sound came from above you, rousing you gently from your half-consciousness.</p><p>Was that… a laugh? Well, it wasn’t a <em>true </em>laugh; it was something more like a chuckle, like the person responsible for it was ashamed to be so amused.  </p><p>Your eyes fluttered open, all bleary from your nap. “Huh?”</p><p>“If you don’t wake up, I’ll leave.”</p><p>Your head snapped up at that, your archnemesis coming into vision. You realised, then, that it must’ve been him that laughed. That unfortunately came hand-in-hand with the revelation that you didn’t <em>hate </em>the sound.</p><p>“I was <em>tired</em>,” you grumbled, stretching your arms above your head in a grandiose show.</p><p>“Whatever,” he sighed, slipping into the seat next to you with the air of a man who was about to start calculating his debts. “Maybe you should just head back to your dorm,” he sighed. “I don’t know if you’re in any state to study.”</p><p>“Listen,” you hissed, “I’m <em>tired</em>. And you’re <em>late</em>.”</p><p>“Relax,” Tsukishima yawned, reaching one hand into his bag. “I had work to do.”</p><p>You blinked at him, trying to soothe the anger brewing in your chest.</p><p>“I actually finished early, by the way.”</p><p>“Oh,” you swallowed, the anger quickly slipping into a mild guilt. “I’m— sorry—”</p><p>“Whatever,” he sighed, tossing a textbook onto the table.</p><p>You bit the inside of your cheek, unsure of what to say. You were supposed to be studying, right? That meant you couldn’t be too abrasive, lest you get nothing of worth done. Could you <em>do </em>that?</p><p>“Let’s just get this over and done with, alright?” He sounded just as bored as always.</p><p>You mumbled something incoherent, even to yourself.</p><p>“What do you need help with?” Tsukishima sighed, electing to ignore you.</p><p>“Uh…”</p><p>“Don’t say everything.”</p><p>You stayed resolutely silent.</p><p>“Fucking…” Tsukishima groaned, rubbing a temple with his fingers.</p><p>“Well, that’s not very polite,” you grumbled, crossing your arms as you sat back in your chair.</p><p>“I can’t help you if I don’t know what to focus on,” Tsukishima snapped, frustratingly straightforward. “Do you know the basics of chrysopoeia?”</p><p>You blinked at him for a moment. “Yes…?”</p><p>“Do you know what that is?”</p><p>“That’s when…” You frowned, racking your drowsy brain for the answer. The term was <em>familiar</em>, but…</p><p>“Come on.” Tsukishima looked like he was one breath away from getting up and leaving. “We did this last year.”</p><p>“Oh!” You gasped, sitting up a little straighter. “Gold! It’s gold!”</p><p>Tsukishima sighed. “Almost. Do you remember how to <em>make </em>gold?”</p><p>“What am I making it from?” You frowned. “You can’t ask such a broad question.”</p><p>He blinked at you for a second, seemingly frustrated at the fact that you were <em>right</em>. The base metal mattered, after all.</p><p>“Fine,” he mumbled. “I’m sure you know how to do it with lead, so… how about copper?”</p><p>The two of you ran over a series of transmutations, helping Tsukishima figure out the gaps in your knowledge. You couldn’t tell if he was impressed or annoyed by the fact that you knew more than he’d expected. You, at least, felt some sense of pride; you were smarter than he’d given you credit for. Although, another part of you felt as though you should be offended by the fact he’d thought you’d be stupider than this.</p><p>You glanced at the candle again. Another two hours had passed. Gods, you were getting tired. You plopped your crossed arms on the table, sinking down over them and using them as a pillow. You closed your eyes for a second, letting Tsukishima methodically explain the theoretical process of refining an alkahest.</p><p>“Are you even listening to me?” He hissed, nudging you with an elbow.</p><p>“Mhm,” you murmured, half your face covered by your crossed arms.</p><p>Tsukishima had half a mind to bonk you on the back of the head with his textbook. But, he wasn’t about to do that. Not when you seemed like you’d explode at him for the smallest of provocations.</p><p>It was a real shame you looked so cute, all sleepy—</p><p><em>What… the fuck? </em>He thought to himself, freezing at the revelation.</p><p>You? Cute? Those were <em>not </em>two words that belonged together. Not under <em>any </em>circumstance.</p><p>“Get up,” he hissed, two fingers poking at your temple.</p><p>You groaned, trying to hit his assault away with a limp hand.</p><p>“We’re done here,” he huffed, standing up sharply.</p><p>You jolted upright in your chair, looking up at him with wide eyes. “But we’re not done!”</p><p>“It’s one in the morning,” he grumbled, pointing at the candle nestled in a cranny on the wall next to you. Sure enough, the wax had melted, leaving a stump that was only a couple of inches tall.</p><p>“But… but I still don’t feel like I’ve caught up,” you groaned, standing up with a creak in your bones. How old were you? Sixty?</p><p>“Not my problem,” he shrugged, slinging his bag over his shoulder.</p><p>No. No, you weren’t letting your one chance at academic redemption get away from you that easily.</p><p>“Tsukishima,” you whined, turning to look up at him with the most desperate puppyeyes you could manage. You had half a mind to clasp your hands together in front of you to really complete the image. “Tsukki—”</p><p>“Don’t call me that.”</p><p>Whoops. “I’m sorry!” You said, the phrase jumbling out a bit too quickly. “Please… please help me out again. Please.”</p><p>He looked down at you, his eyebrows pinched together in a look that you could only describe as mild disgust. Were you <em>that </em>annoying? Was this <em>such </em>a waste of his time?</p><p>“Fine.”</p><p>Huh? “Wait, are you serious?”</p><p>“Unfortunately,” he muttered.</p><p>An unbridled grin broke out across your face. You’d looked deflated mere seconds ago, but now you’d been given new life. Tsukishima was doing all he could to ignore how radiant you looked in the dim half-light of the lanterns.</p><p>“If I said no, you’d just keep pestering me about it,” he grumbled, turning his back to you.</p><p>You pouted, but had nothing to say. Unfortunately, he was right. You just turned back to your books, packing them into your bag.</p><p>“Hurry up,” Tsukishima sighed, making you jump.</p><p>“Hm?” You looked over your shoulder, surprised to see him still standing there.</p><p>“I want to go to sleep.”</p><p>“Then go to bed,” you blinked.</p><p>“I will,” he said, “but I can’t do that until I’ve dropped you off at your dorm.”</p><p>He said it so matter-of-factly that you almost apologised. Almost.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“Just… just hurry up, okay?”</p><p>✧✧✧</p><p>“Hey, Tsukki? hat’s wrong?” Yamaguchi frowned, tilting his head at his companion. “You’re usually great at this stuff.”</p><p>“Nothing’s wrong,” Tsukishima grumbled, letting his hand fall to his side. He’d been trying to produce a solid ball of light for the past five minutes.</p><p>“Are you sure?”</p><p>Tuskishima clenched his fist, feeling a wisp of air escape from it. Ah, so he’d been producing <em>something</em>, at least. But regardless, he was wasting their designated time in the courtyard. And he certainly didn’t plan on wasting any more of it by indulging Yamaguchi’s desire to pry into his private life.</p><p>“You’ve been kind of off these days, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi pouted, eyebrows pinched together as he regarded his friend. “Have you been sleeping alright?”</p><p>“I’ve been sleeping fine,” Tsukishima snapped. Even he knew that was a disproportionate response. But the fact of the matter was he certainly wasn’t sleeping as well as he <em>could </em>be. It was just that every time he closed his eyes, his thoughts managed to find their way back to you.</p><p>And quite frankly, he didn’t want to see you anymore than he had to. Even if it was in his half-asleep thoughts, where you were smiling up at him like you <em>actually </em>wanted to see him—</p><p>“Tsukishima!”</p><p>Oh no.</p><p>He cringed, jaw clenching as he saw you running towards him from the other side of the courtyard, your robes fluttering behind you.</p><p>Yamaguchi glanced at him, eyebrows raised just a little.</p><p>You came to a stop in front of them, giving them each a little bow. Only Yamaguchi returned it.</p><p>“What do you want?” Tsukishima swallowed, uncomfortably aware of Yamaguchi’s eyes.</p><p>“Tsukki,” Yamaguchi murmured. It was less his name and more a plea to not be so rude. Tsukishima could tell that from Yamaguchi’s tone of voice alone.  </p><p>You looked up at Tsukishima, your features pulled into a look of perfect indignation. “Oh, so <em>he’s </em>allowed to call you Tsukki.”</p><p>“Bold of you to assume he ever asked me for permission,” Tsukishima grumbled.</p><p>You pouted at him for a moment, until your eyes lit up with a certain kind of mischief that Tsukishima had come to dread.</p><p>“He talks about you a lot,” you said, turning to Yamaguchi with the brightest smile on your face.</p><p>“I do not—”</p><p>“You sound like a good friend,” you beamed, hands behind your back. “Tsukki seems to hate literally everyone, so good job!”</p><p>“Why are you like this?” Tuskishima groaned, his hands coming up to cover his face.</p><p>“Like what?” You asked, your expression the perfect picture of innocence.</p><p>He wanted to choose his next words carefully. Very carefully.</p><p>“Ah!” You straightened up, your head whipping around to the other side of the courtyard.</p><p>“Is everything okay?” Tsukishima frowned, only the smallest touch of concern in his voice.</p><p>“I have a meeting,” you said, twirling around in a flurry of robes. “Bye!”</p><p>Tsukishima opened his mouth to shout after you; something about how you can’t run away from an argument, about how this entire exchange was entirely <em>useless</em>, about how you needed to keep better track of time…</p><p>But you were already gone. All he could do was stare at the spot you’d just been, a look of mild displeasure on his face.</p><p>He didn’t check that expression in time. Yamaguchi had already seen it.</p><p>“<em>Oh</em>?”</p><p>Oh no.</p><p>Yamaguchi was grinning. Widely. Usually he’d try and hide that sort of thing behind one of his hands, but not today.</p><p>“I don’t,” Tsukishima grumbled, stuffing his hands in his pockets.</p><p>“I haven’t even said anything yet,” Yamaguchi giggled.</p><p>“Whatever you’re thinking, you’re wrong,” Tsukishima grunted, the tips of his ears suddenly feeling quite warm.</p><p>“So,” Yamaguchi hummed, tilting his head to the side. “Want to tell me about them?”</p><p>“There’s nothing to tell.”</p><p>“Really?” Oh, Yamaguchi was having the <em>time </em>of his life. “You don’t want to… hold their hand, do you?”</p><p>“Yamaguchi.”</p><p>“What? I’m just curious.”</p><p>“Another word out of you and I’ll strike you down where you stand.”</p><p>✧✧✧</p><p>You liked Yamaguchi well enough. The fact that he was friends with Tsukishima was almost funny.</p><p>You just didn’t know why he was with the two of you right <em>now</em>.</p><p>“Yamaguchi.”</p><p>“Mhm?”</p><p>“Do you <em>need </em>to be here?” Tsukishima sighed, not looking up from the textbook.</p><p>“Aw, Tsukki,” Yamaguchi frowned, barely trying to hide the mischief in his eyes. “I just want to hang out with my best friend.”</p><p>“And?” Tsukishima prompted, rubbing his temples.</p><p>“Oh, Tuskki,” you pouted, tilting your head at him. “He just wants to hang out with his best friend! You’d really kick him out so coldly?” You didn’t know <em>why </em>Yamaguchi was in the mood to tease, but you definitely wanted to be a part of it.</p><p>“I didn’t ask for your input,” Tsukishima snapped, picking up his quill with an unusual amount of irritation.</p><p>Yamaguchi snickered.</p><p>“You should respect your friends some more,” you sighed, twirling your own quill in your fingers.</p><p>“Who are you?” Tsukishima scoffed. “My mother?”</p><p>“No.” You shook your head, sketching the symbol for mercury on your page absent-mindedly. “I would’ve raised you better.”</p><p>Yamaguchi had to cover his mouth at that one.</p><p>“You’re dragging my family into this?”</p><p><em>Oh shit</em>, you thought, <em>might want to backtrack that one</em>. “You’re right, I should give your mother more credit. I can’t imagine having to put up with you for… what is it now? Eighteen? Nineteen years?”</p><p>“Do you want me to tutor you or not?” Tsukishima glowered at you. “Because if you’re going to keep being ungrateful, then—”</p><p>“I’m sorry!” You squeaked, bowing your head at him. “I take it back, you’re the most wonderful person I’ve ever met—”</p><p>“That wasn’t an indication to swing too far in the opposite direction,” he rolled his eyes, praying that his cheeks weren’t too pink. “Now just… just start solving that transmutation, okay?”</p><p>You pouted at him for a long moment.</p><p>“<em>What</em>?” Tsukishima sighed.</p><p>“I’m just wondering,” you mused, “Are you cursed?”</p><p>Tsukishima’s face dropped. “What are you on about?”</p><p>“Well, I was thinking,” you hummed, tapping the feather of your quill against your lips. Tsukishima was determined to look literally anywhere else.</p><p>“That’s not a good thing,” he mumbled.</p><p>“You’re literally incapable of saying anything nice to your friends,” you mused, tilting your head at him. “Is that because you’re cursed?”</p><p>“Do you ever say anything that makes sense?”</p><p>“See! That’s a great example!”</p><p>“What—we’re <em>not </em>friends—”</p><p>“Now <em>that’s </em>the meanest thing you’ve said to me so far!”</p><p>Why were you like this? Why were you so difficult to put a finger on? And <em>why </em>was Yamaguchi giggling?</p><p>“Yamaguchi,” Tsukishima growled, casting him a glance.</p><p>“I’ll be quiet,” Yamaguchi smiled, turning back to his own work.</p><p>“And you,” Tsukishima said, tapping you on the nose with his quill. “Get to work.”</p><p>For once, you complied. Fun as it was to get on Tsukishima’s nerves, you had an exam coming up. And if you lost your one comrade in this fight to the perils of homework, then you were willing to get serious yourself.</p><p>Unbeknownst to you, Yamaguchi wasn’t <em>actually </em>doing his work. Not at all. He was watching the two of you, desperate to catch a whiff of any romantic tension.</p><p>He’d never seen Tsukishima be this… patient. Sure, it might not have seemed that way to anyone else, but Yamaguchi knew the lanky blond better than anyone else here. The fact that Tsukishima was taking the time to explain <em>anything </em>to you was a miracle in itself.</p><p>But that wasn’t enough to convince him.</p><p>No, he was convinced by the deep flush of red that graced Tsukishima’s cheeks when you beamed up at him. You’d just re-explained a concept to him perfectly, and it was Tsukishima’s dry praise that got you to light up so much.</p><p>Poor Tsukishima didn’t know what to <em>do</em>, simply staring at you with a look that was halfway between annoyance and confusion. Yamaguchi hadn’t thought that an ‘angry blush’ was a thing, but he was seeing it right in front of his eyes.</p><p>What he <em>didn’t </em>know was that Tsukishima was angry for two reasons; the first was that you were so damn cute, despite how annoying you could be. The second was that he didn’t want to <em>admit </em>you were cute. Which meant this feeling had nowhere to go. It would just fester in a corner of his chest, ready to jump on him while he was trying to get to sleep.</p><p>“Did I do something wrong?” You asked, shocking Tsukishima out of his thoughts.</p><p>“Huh?”</p><p>“You’re glaring at me,” you said, biting your lip. “And you’re all red.”</p><p>“I’m <em>fine</em>,” he replied, a little too quickly.  </p><p>Yamaguchi giggled at that. Did he <em>have </em>to be here? Tsukishima just wanted to suffer alone.  </p><p>“Oi, guys!” A voice boomed out, much too loud for the library. “Come look at this!”</p><p>“Oh no,” Tsukishima sighed, fingers rubbing his temples. “Not them, too.”</p><p>You looked up, determined to see who, exactly ‘them’ was.</p><p>Three boys stood in front of you, two clad in the rich purple robes of the fourth years, and one in the emerald green of the third.</p><p>“Oh ho?”</p><p>“<em>Oh ho ho</em>?”</p><p>“What’s this?” One of the fourth years smirked, his unruly black hair sticking out at all angles. “Is our little Tsukki <em>blushing</em>?”</p><p>“Sure looks like it,” the other fourth year grinned, and you realised he was the voice that’d disturbed the peace. You realised, not without some amusement, that he looked something like an owl.</p><p>“Leave him alone,” the third year sighed. He had the air of a mother who’d been worn down from years of trying to look after some delinquent children.</p><p>You braved a glance at Tsukishima.</p><p>He looked like he wanted to die; but not without taking those two fourth years out with him.</p><p>“But Tsukki’s talking to someone who <em>isn’t </em>Yamaguchi,” Bokuto gasped, patting the third year on the shoulder. “Akaashi, this is <em>big</em>.”</p><p>“He talks to you, doesn’t he?” Akaashi sighed.</p><p>“Not by choice,” Tsukshima mumbled.</p><p>“Don’t be mean,” the other fourth year chided, crossing his arms.</p><p>“Can you please leave?” Tsukishima said. “We’re trying to work here.”</p><p>“Aw, you can’t talk to your precious upperclassmen?” Bokuto cooed.</p><p>“We happen to be quite busy.”</p><p>“He used ‘we’ twice,” the other fourth year pointed out, giving his friend a knowing look.</p><p>“For fuck’s sake…” Tsukishima sighed, rubbing his temples yet again. “I’m trying to help my—my friend study so they don’t fail an exam, okay?”</p><p>“I’m your <em>friend</em>?” You gasped, placing a hand over your chest in mock-delight.</p><p>Tsukishima only just realised what a terrible mistake he’d made.</p><p>“Oi, Kuroo,” Bokuto slapped the other fourth year’s arm with the back of his hand. Tsukishima didn’t like the look on either of their faces. “I need to talk to you about… something.”</p><p>Kuroo grinned in response, and both boys ran off so quickly that they might as well have puffed into smoke.</p><p>“I’m so sorry,” Akaashi mumbled, giving the three of you at the table a small bow.</p><p>“Not a problem,” you smiled, waving a hand at him.</p><p>He just nodded before walking off himself. You weren’t sure if he would bother looking for the other two or not.</p><p>You snuck a glance at Tsukishima. “Are you okay? You seem… stressed.”</p><p>“Yeah,” he sighed, rolling his shoulders.</p><p>“Friends of yours?” You hummed. “Like me?”</p><p>“You could say that,” he grumbled, his cheeks just as vibrant as they had been a couple of minutes ago.</p><p>You grinned, elated at your ‘win.’ Sure, a couple of weeks ago you would’ve balked at the thought of <em>wanting </em>Tsukishima Kei to call you his friend. Maybe it was because it had seemed so impossible to win any kind of approval from him.</p><p>Yeah, that had to be it.</p><p>“Can we go over the transmutations of iron?” You asked, cutting off your thoughts before they could steer themselves in a direction you didn’t like.</p><p>The two of you worked away for the next half an hour or so, Yamaguchi peacefully watching on from the other side of the table. But eventually, he’d seen all he wanted to see. And he wanted to give you two a little privacy; for Tsukishima’s pride, if nothing else.</p><p>“Anyway,” Yamaguchi yawned, stretching his arms above his head. “I’m going to go.”</p><p>You jumped. In all honesty, you’d totally forgotten he was there.</p><p>“Whatever,” Tsukishima sighed. He looked a bit like he was trying to fight off a yawn himself.  </p><p>Yamaguchi stood up and gave you a little nod before beaming at Tsukishima. “Tsukki, I’ll see you later tonight at the dorms, right?”</p><p>“Why wouldn’t you?” Tsukishima frowned.</p><p>“Just checking,” Yamaguchi said brightly. You had half a mind to ask him what <em>that </em>was about, but he’d scurried away from the table before you had time to think about it properly.</p><p>Tsukishima had decided to pay it no mind, instead just turning to you and saying something about gold. You weren’t sure how much time had passed, but you could feel the weight of the day beginning to bear down on the two of you.</p><p>Tsukishima groaned, running a hand through his hair.</p><p>“You okay?” You asked, glancing at him.</p><p>He sighed, taking his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose.</p><p>It shouldn’t have been a big deal. And it wasn’t really.</p><p>But seeing him without his glasses made you pause. Was Tsukishima Kei… handsome? Had he been handsome this entire time, and you were just too blinded by rage to notice it? And what were you supposed to do with this information?</p><p>You watched, rapt with terror as he put his glasses back on.</p><p><em>Enemy sighted</em>. You blinked, trying to process what was going on.</p><p>What the <em>fuck </em>had just happened? Were you sotired as to think that your sworn rival Tsukishima Kei was <em>attractive</em>?</p><p>Besides, what did it even matter if he was handsome or not? Plenty of handsome people were downright unbearable. Not that you would slander Tsukishima in such a way. He wasn’t <em>that </em>bad.</p><p>“Hurry up,” he grumbled, packing his own books into his bag.</p><p>Oh, right. He was going to walk you back to your dorm. Again. He’d made a habit of it, after these little study sessions of yours. The fact that he was under no obligation to do such a thing made it all seem so… gentlemanly.</p><p>You said very little as you walked side by side, too wrapped up in your own thoughts. He was <em>supposed </em>to be your sworn rival. And yet, there you were, feeling a bit like you were floating, and a bit like you were about to throw up.</p><p>Oh, well. This would be over soon enough.</p><p>✧✧✧</p><p>“So.”</p><p>You looked up at him, biting your lip. “So.”</p><p>“How do you think you did?”</p><p>Tsukishima was close behind you as you left the classroom, the bubble of anxious conversation rippling through your peers.</p><p>You were more nervous about this closeness between you than you’d been about the damn exam. You swallowed, quickly maneuvering your way through the crowd to find some more open space.</p><p>“You haven’t answer my question,” Tsukishima grumbled, hot on your heels.</p><p>Oh, right.</p><p>“I did the best I could,” you said, looking up at him with a smile.</p><p>He smiled back.</p><p>Oh, no. No, you weren’t used to that. You weren’t used to how cute he looked when he smiled. Oh, this was all unfamiliar territory. You didn’t know what to do. You didn’t know what to feel. Uh—</p><p>“I tried my best, and that’s what matters,” you breathed, turning around and skipping down the hallway. What were you? <em>Seven</em>?</p><p>Tsukishima watched you, his legs long enough to keep up with you without issue. “Are you… okay?”</p><p><em>He probably thinks I’m weird</em>, you thought. <em>I’m an adult and I’m bloody skipping down the hallway like a child—</em></p><p>“Yes! I’m fine!” You lied, slowing down to a regular walking speed. What were you even supposed to say to him anymore, now that the exam was done?</p><p>Tsukishima hummed, but he didn’t press the issue further. Which was <em>worse</em>—you abhorred the silence.</p><p>“I just don’t know what I’m going to do with my evenings, now,” you said, more in a bid to fill the space between you than anything else. “I’m going to be deathly bored.”</p><p>Maybe that was a little too honest.</p><p>But you didn’t miss how he very quietly murmured, “Me too.”</p><p>Oh, you weren’t going to let <em>that </em>go. Not at all.</p><p>You zipped in front of him, coming to a standstill. He skidded to a stop himself, both startled <em>and </em>embarrassed at the fact that he’d nearly just tripped over you.</p><p>You looked up at him resolutely, a mixture of nervousness and mischief painted across your face. “That’s because you won’t be hanging out with me, right?”</p><p>Tsukishima opened his mouth as if to say something, but he seemed to stop himself from responding. But, his cheeks bloomed a familiar red, and the tenderness in his eyes betrayed him.</p><p>Your heart hammered in your chest, and you felt a handful of words away from humiliating yourself. But there was a little, tiny opening here, and you didn’t want to let it go to waste.</p><p>“Would you… like to catch up later?” You asked, tilting your head at him.</p><p>“To… study?”</p><p>You did have a couple more exams to worry about. But that wasn’t what you were interested in.</p><p>“We can if you really want to,” you smiled, lacing your hands together behind your back. “But wouldn’t it be more fun to head into town?”</p><p>“Sure,” he swallowed, sticking his hands in his pockets. He couldn’t quite meet your gaze, his entire posture screaming with awkwardness. He really had no clue how to handle this, did he?</p><p>“You know I’m talking about a date, right?” A tease or two wouldn’t hurt.</p><p>“Of course I know that!” He snapped, neck and ears now slowly turning red. “I’m not dumb!”</p><p>“Ah! So you <em>do </em>like me then!” You giggled, well-aware that your own cheeks must be glowing by now.</p><p>“I—I never said that,” he huffed, finally looking at you.</p><p>You frowned at him, eyes wide and round with hurt. It <em>did </em>sting a little.</p><p>“But… But I never said I <em>don’t</em>,” he grumbled, running a hand through his hair.</p><p>You beamed up at him, standing up a little straighter as relief flooded your chest.</p><p>“You’re so exhausting,” he whined, bringing his hands up to cover his face. You’d count that as an absolute win.</p><p>You laughed, stepping forward and tugging at his wrists. You weren’t used to that kind of contact, but you were determined to start familiarizing yourself with it.</p><p>He dropped one of his hands from his face with some reticence, and you took the opportunity to lace your fingers through his.</p><p>“Let’s get something to eat,” you said, positive that if his hand wasn’t tying you to the ground, you’d be floating off into the great unknown.</p><p>He said nothing. But, he didn’t let go of your hand.</p><p>Some part of you felt like gloating. You’d managed to leave the Tsukishima Kei speechless; and you’d managed to make him blush. Even if your heart felt like it was going to burst out of your chest, and even though you couldn’t stop a smile from taking over your face, you’d managed to get the last laugh.</p><p>But, had you really?</p><p>✧ ✧</p><p>“I can’t believe it,” Kuroo snorted, watching the two of you from the other side of the courtyard.</p><p>“I told you they’d be fine,” Akaashi sighed, a little flutter of relief in his chest.</p><p>“I still think our plan would’ve been great,” Kuroo yawned, scratching the back of his neck.</p><p>“Leaving two people stranded in the forest is more likely to leave them panicked, not ready for love,” Akaashi said.</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Kuroo sighed, waving a hand at his friend. He glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. “You okay?”</p><p>An expression of resigned acceptance graced Akaashi’s face. “Bokuto’s never going to shut up about this.”</p>
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